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I will be watching in the next month to see if Atlanta upgrades its offensive line. If it does, I think that team could turn around its running game in a hurry.
The Falcons ranked 26th in rushing last season, but part of that was by design - the team went with a pass-heavy approach last season. And Atlanta now has a nice one-two punch at tailback. Neither Michael Turner nor Jerious Norwood is particularly proven, but both have plenty of upside.
Consider the following chart, which shows the best running backs, by yards per carry, in the last three years. It's rare for a running back to average 5.9 yards per attempt; both Norwood and Turner have done it twice.
On the chart below, you're seeing the top 10 of the 200 running backs who've carried the ball at least 50 times in a season in the last three years.
Turner and Norwood definitely have talent. I see them as one of the best one-two punches in the league. Similar to Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew in Jacksonville and Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw of New York (although the Giants also have Derrick Ward, so maybe they’re actually a one-two-three punch). Minnesota (Peterson/Taylor) and Washington (Portis/Betts) also have nice duos in their backfields, but in those cases, the second guy is more of a standard bread-and-butter back, rather than a homerun hitter.
Anyway, give Turner and Norwood some blocking (maybe select left tackle Jake Long with the 3rd pick of the draft?), and Atlanta's running game will be just fine.
BEST RUSHING AVERAGES IN LAST THREE YEARS
(Running backs only, 50-attempt minimum)
Average Player (Year) Att-Yds-TD
6.4 Jerious Norwood, Atl. (2006) 99-633-2
6.3 Michael Turner, S.D. (2006) 80-502-2
6.2 Michael Pittman, T.B. (2005) 70-436-1
6.0 Jerious Norwood, Atl. (2007) 103-613-1
5.9 Michael Turner, S.D. (2005) 57-335-3
5.7 Maurice Jones-Drew, Jac. (2006) 166-941-13
5.6 Adrian Peterson, Minn. (2007) 238-1341-12
5.4 Frank Gore, S.F. (2006) 312-1695-8
5.4 Fred Taylor, Jac. (2007) 223-1202-5
5.4 Chester Taylor, Minn. (2007) 157-844-7
--Ian Allan
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Posted by Paul Desimone | Mar. 29 at 01:43 PM
I'll take that as potential. I've got Turner in a keeper league, and my RBs have been short of dynamic, to say the least. Paul Desimone Hayward, CA